Certifying Community Mobilisation - Advantages and Limitations

Communities would know what level of development the mobilised group has reached or can strive for. A census can be undertaken throughout the country to determine the number of communities who have reached a particular stage of development. Valuable resources can be saved since communities would not have to undergo repeated community mobilisation exercises. A clear “exit” strategy could be defined as to when the organisation assisting the community in its mobilisation efforts leaves the community, e.g. when it has reached a pre-defined level of maturity. A graduation or certification process would encourage transparency and make the institutions promoting community mobilisation accountable for achieving specific targets. Community mobilisation can be linked to a training programme that describes the necessary training needed to reach each level of graduation / maturity. Governments can systematically plan the gradual community mobilization of all communities in the country according to commonly agreed upon standards and a certification process.

An exit strategy out of the community is not always desired by NGOs and community based organisations providing capacity building services as it reduces their sources of income. Not every community can be mobilized at the same speed. Much depends upon levels of education and training and also cultural factors. Therefore, some communities may take years to mobilise while others only take a few months. A consensus amongst all organisations undertaking community mobilization may not be feasible in a country due to ideological or political reasons. Community mobilisation can also be inherently political and can be misusd by politicians. People can be mobilised in a negative sense, either towards violence or towards a certain political idealogy. Certification of community mobilisation can not and should not be the sole responsibility of any government since this could discourage NGOs from participating in the process.